Absolute Surrender

And once again I look upon the cross where you died,

I'm humbled by Your blessing, I'm broken inside.

Once again I thank You,

Once again I pour out my life.

(Once again, Matt Redman)

Thank you, Lord! Three weeks at Scott Mission Camp has gone by quickly but with stories to last a lifetime...

I am so blessed to be serving with brothers and sisters in Christ who are so hungry for Jesus, and who so desperately seek to abide in Him, even in surrendering their lives to Him that He may be glorified. While discussing about the fruit of the Spirit during staff devotions, specifically about "goodness" and what it means for us to display goodness, I loved that we were pointed back to God--the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:1-10)! For the praise of His glory!

I thank God that we are encouraged time and time again to humble ourselves before the Lord, not to rely on our own strength but to surrender all to Him, to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). I thank God for bringing to mind the passage in John 15 over and over again...

I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

The Hatred of the World

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

I thank God that this passage was preached so powerfully today at NYCBC. Jesus' final "I am" statement to his true disciples. The quintessential relationship: Abiding in Christ. May God be glorified in our Christ-filled relationships (with Him, within the Church, and with unbelievers)! 

And I thank God for being reminded of this: Absolute surrender by Andrew Murray

Not only does God expects your surrender, He accomplishes it, accepts it, maintains it, and blesses when you surrender! The life of the branch of the True Vine is a life of absolute dependence, deep restfulness, much fruitfulness, close communion, and absolute surrender. What a beautiful life and all glory to the Beautiful One!

To end off, a testimony shared at the healthcare station the past week:

A camper from one of the younger boy cabins stopped by one evening. I immediately wondered what was up since I had only just seen in earlier at lunch. I even got to pray with him about the insect bites that were upsetting to him and his homesickness, and he seemed much better after that. But before he even sat down, he started sobbing--about his bites, about missing his mom...then came this: "I really feel like God changed me from the first day at this camp...I realized how selfish I've been and I feel terrible..." He continued sobbing while sharing about his past sins, how he didn't want other kids to go through that, how he has witnessed the transformation in his dad who was saved a few years ago, how he really wanted to learn all that he could in Bible lessons, to go back home to share about Jesus with his mom, and to help other kids...

Wow. Praise God for saving this young one! Only by His grace and His power that he experienced such godly sorrow and for repentance leading to the knowledge of truth! Praying that he may continue living in light of the Gospel, declaring Philippians 3:7-14 (the core award bible memory passage at camp this summer):

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.